In last week's episode: So who was Joe "Hollywood" Horn dialing on his cellphone after scoring one of his four touchdowns Sunday night? The Gamblers of course! After trailing Heelbillys 69-60 entering the Saints-Giants affair, Dave was happy to hear about his win straight from the big mouth himself. Horn wasn't done, of course, rolling up 40 fantasy points in a career performance. And speaking of career performances, the Commish picked 'em perfectly last week, calling the Jayhawks' nail-biter over the Berserkers and a double-digit win for the Gamblers.
| AFFC No. 1 JAYHAWKS (11-2, 1,056 points) vs. NFFC No. 1 GAMBLERS (11-2, 1,014 points) |
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The Storyline: Dave makes a pre-Christmas trip to Raleigh for a game of family feud at the Tech Bowl (front lawn of the NCSU Student Center). All-Time Head-2-Head Results: The 'Hawks own a 4-2 all-time advantage, including a close win in the 2003 meeting -- 45-43 in Week 3. Postseason History: This is the inaugural meeting between these two in the playoffs, and neither has won a Tech Bowl. The Gamblers are making their second Tech Bowl appearance; the Jayhawks are marking their fourth trip. The Line: Jayhawks by 3 |
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| Starters | Who Has the Advantage? | Starters | |
| QB | McNair or Favre or Kitna |
Push ... Brett Favre must be thinking, "what do I have to do to crack the starting lineup?" Favre is second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 27 but hasn't been behind center for the Gamblers since Week 4. There's no place like dome for Bulger, who has 14 of his 19 touchdown passes on turf and faces the Bengals in a real-life showdown with Kitna. | Bulger |
| RB1 | Alexander | Push ... Like something out of Captain Kirk in Star Trek II ("KAHN!"), the anguished cry of "SHANAHAN!" could be heard echoing throughout the Nest on Sunday, as the self-proclaimed "genius" of a coach left the Jayhawks' priced running back in needlessly in overtime, eventually leading up to a Portis injury that has left him questionable for this week and likely out. For the love of all things holy, Jason Elam can't make a 30-yard field goal with the wind at his back? Speaking of holiness and love, David is saying his blessings as Alexander gets to face the Cardinals in Seattle. | McAllister |
| RB2 | E. James | Gamblers ... James gets the "edge" here just because he's Edgerrin James. Westbrook has seven touchdowns in his past five games, while Edge has been stuffed on numerous goal-line chances this season (including three times from inside the 3-yard line Sunday vs. the Falcons). | B. Westbrook |
| WR1 | Holt | Push ... Despite Torry's great season and Marvin's nagging hamstring injury, the ever-consistent Harrison trails our favorite Wolfpacker by just 15 points on the season (134 in 14 starts to 119 in 12 starts) and has a slightly better points-per-start average (9.91 to 9.57). | Harrison |
| WR2 | Horn | Push ... Both Gamblers and 'Hawks have a nice mix of classy (Holt and Harrison) and trashy (Horn and Johnson). If you've watched ESPN for five minutes this week you're probably sick to death of Horn, whose cellphone antics have gotten as much media play as Saddam's capture. That little call cost Horn $30,000 in NFL fines. Like something out of the Darwin Awards, Chad Johnson had his own little touchdown celebration Sunday. After scoring, he retrieved a sign he had hidden behind a pile of snow that read: "Dear NFL: Please don't fine me again." He was, of course, fined $10,000. | C. Johnson |
| WC | McCardell or D. Jackson or D. Davis or Moe Williams |
Push ... Here's a group that can't instill a lot of confidence in their owners ... Stephen Davis has officially been demoted after a pathetic display vs. the Cardinals. Speaking of pathetic, the Jayhawks called out the wrong Wolfie WR in the fourth round of the draft, taking K-Rob at No. 33, just before Holt went at No. 35. If you have the sudden urge to grab your cellphone and start dialing, it's because you subconsciously remember Horn going 34th. | S. Davis or K. Robinson |
| TE | D. Graham or B. Williams |
Gamblers ... Just when you thought Alge couldn't sink any lower: Two catches for two yards. Graham, meanwhile, scored again last week and keeps reminding New Englanders of Ben "Winter" Coates. | Crumpler |
| K | Vanderjagt | Gamblers ... The perfect season continues for Vanderjagt: 34-for-34 on field goal attempts, 42-of-42 on extra point tries. | Longwell or Stover |
| D | Panthers | Push ... Opposing defenses salivate when they see Joey Harrington and his 21 interceptions on the other side of the field. The Panthers are the lucky recipients of Harrington's passes this week. | Chiefs or Jaguars |
| Prediction: The pressure has really started to build at Jayhawks HQ at the Nest, where team brass has grown tired of being touted (and taunted) as the fantasy Buffalo Bills, who went to four straight Super Bowls in the early '90s and lost all of them. A win would not only put the 'Hawks on easy street toward their third overall title, but make the ensuing week's King family Christmas get-together a more enjoyable experience. The Gamblers, meanwhile, have renewed hopes for their second TFFL title after a 100-point outburst left them just 42 points off the Jayhawks' pace in the standings. You can't ignore the fact that without Portis, the 'Hawks don't have an advantage at any of the above positions. Add in the Jayhawks' multiple choke jobs on Tech Bowl Sundays and all signs point to the Gamblers. Result: The Gamblers dole out a traditional Tech Bowl thumping, and the Commish is forced to don a bag over his head during the get-together in Spartanburg, S.C. | |||
| Bonus Tech Bowl Did You Knows? |
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